In response to Thursday’s ruling by the New York Supreme Court of Appeals.

“I welcome this week’s New York Court of Appeals ruling. I am really glad that finally, after almost two years of waiting, there is a decision.

“I think that it is the right verdict and that Alinghi and America’s Cup Management (ACM) made a mistake in accepting the challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup from Spain’s Club Nautico Espanol De Vela.

“Now at last we can move forward, although in my opinion it is out of the question that a multi-challenge America’s Cup can be held in 2010 or even 2011. In fact I don’t think it could be before 2012. We are experiencing the worst economic crisis in a century. We need time to come out of this and time to allow the world to regain confidence in sports sponsorship.

“Maybe in the meantime we will find a good solution to keep the competition alive but it won’t be the America’s Cup.

“In the meantime I will be giving my full attention to staying in command of my ship in order to ride the rough waters until the economic storm is over. And when the sea is calm again I will be ready to lead Shosholoza to new heights!

“I will be looking forward to that,” said Captain Sarno, who is also the chairman of the South African division of Mediterranean Shipping Company. MSC is the second biggest container shipping company in the world.

In response to Thursday’s ruling by the New York Supreme Court of Appeals.

“I welcome this week’s New York Court of Appeals ruling. I am really glad that finally, after almost two years of waiting, there is a decision.

“I think that it is the right verdict and that Alinghi and America’s Cup Management (ACM) made a mistake in accepting the challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup from Spain’s Club Nautico Espanol De Vela.

“Now at last we can move forward, although in my opinion it is out of the question that a multi-challenge America’s Cup can be held in 2010 or even 2011. In fact I don’t think it could be before 2012. We are experiencing the worst economic crisis in a century. We need time to come out of this and time to allow the world to regain confidence in sports sponsorship.

“Maybe in the meantime we will find a good solution to keep the competition alive but it won’t be the America’s Cup.

“In the meantime I will be giving my full attention to staying in command of my ship in order to ride the rough waters until the economic storm is over. And when the sea is calm again I will be ready to lead Shosholoza to new heights!

“I will be looking forward to that,” said Captain Sarno, who is also the chairman of the South African division of Mediterranean Shipping Company. MSC is the second biggest container shipping company in the world.

Share this:

[Source: Shosholoza] Team Shosholoza came off the water buoyant after the first of five days of practice racing in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour yesterday in the countdown to Friday’s 30 January start of the first -ever Louis Vuitton Pacific Series (LVPS).

“It was a good day to start learning how to race on these unfamiliar boats because the wind was very light. The yachts are definitely different and more sophisticated than Shosholoza RSA 83. We have a lot to learn and we will, very quickly!” said Shosholoza skipper and helmsman Paolo Cian.

The practice racing schedule is a critical part of the LVPS match racing regatta as the crack ten international teams competing in the event will share four 80 foot Louis Vuitton Cup yachts.

The two yachts, NZL 92 and NZL 84 are on loan for the event from host team Emirates Team New Zealand and the yachts USA 87 and USA 98 from America’s BMW Oracle Racing.

First practice day for Shosholoza. Auckland, 24 January 2009. Photo copyright Team Shosholoza

Each pair of yachts has been modified to make them even and simplify boat handling. The modifications include disabling the rig tuning devises and sail inventory.

During racing a daily draw will determine which of the four yachts each team will sail with the proviso that the New Zealand yachts will always be raced against each other and likewise with the BMW Oracle Racing yachts. Teams will fly their national flag from the stern of the yacht when racing plus carry their respective country’s name and sponsor’s logos on the main and spinnaker sails..

Saturday’s (24 January) first day of practise racing started with an onboard orientation session supervised by key crew members from the respective team’s loaning their boats. Two crew will also remain onboard each yacht throughout the practice racing period to give advice and technical assistance.

With so many teams needing to be accommodated practice racing slots are for a period of just two hours a day so the pressure is on to get the most out of every minute on the water before the regatta gets underway.

Shosholoza’s first practice race on Saturday was on NZL 84 against Britain’s Team Origin on NZL 92. On Sunday the team will practise race on USA 87 against USA 98.

“For me as helmsman there was a very different feeling on the rudder. We have so much to learn but these are challengers that we enjoy because we are used to sailing on a range of different boats on the World Match Racing Tour,” said Cian

“But for instance Team Origin’s helmsman Ben Ainslie – who besides being Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor ever – was the B helmsman for Emirates Team New Zealand in the 2007 America’s Cup so he has a good knowledge of the angles, setting and tuning of these New Zealand yachts.

First practice day for Shosholoza. Auckland, 24 January 2009. Photo copyright Team Shosholoza

“So there will be some skippers and crew who might have an insider’s edge on us but we have come straight from a very good and very intensive 10 day sail training session on Shosholoza RSA 83 in Valencia. Even though it was freezing in Europe we got into a good groove and built excellent team spirit. Time is tight now for optimising our performance, but then it is the same for all the competing teams,” said Cian.

Cian said the narrow race course area between North Head and the volcanic island of Rangitoto was likely to be tricky as there was current and tides to contend with and constantly shifting winds.

Meanwhile the Shosholoza crew are revelling in the typically warm Kiwi welcome, the sunny 25 degree temperatures, turquoise seas and exquisite island scenery that characterises New Zealand’s city of sails

Most of the crew arrived in Auckland on Friday. Sunday saw the arrival of pitman Solomon Dipeere, who took time off from a diamond mine in northern South Africa where he works as an engineering draughtsman and David Rae (traveller) who flew directly from Salvador, Brazil after a record breaking line honours finish as crew on ICAP Leopard in the Cape to Bahia trans-Atlantic race.

Tactician Tommaso Chieffi and strategist Cameron Appleton arrive Monday direct from Miami’s Acura Key West 2009 regatta. Shosholoza is banking on Appleton’s local knowledge as he is the only Kiwi on board.

Share this:

[Source: Shosholoza] Team Shosholoza came off the water buoyant after the first of five days of practice racing in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour yesterday in the countdown to Friday’s 30 January start of the first -ever Louis Vuitton Pacific Series (LVPS).

“It was a good day to start learning how to race on these unfamiliar boats because the wind was very light. The yachts are definitely different and more sophisticated than Shosholoza RSA 83. We have a lot to learn and we will, very quickly!” said Shosholoza skipper and helmsman Paolo Cian.

The practice racing schedule is a critical part of the LVPS match racing regatta as the crack ten international teams competing in the event will share four 80 foot Louis Vuitton Cup yachts.

The two yachts, NZL 92 and NZL 84 are on loan for the event from host team Emirates Team New Zealand and the yachts USA 87 and USA 98 from America’s BMW Oracle Racing.

First practice day for Shosholoza. Auckland, 24 January 2009. Photo copyright Team Shosholoza

Each pair of yachts has been modified to make them even and simplify boat handling. The modifications include disabling the rig tuning devises and sail inventory.

During racing a daily draw will determine which of the four yachts each team will sail with the proviso that the New Zealand yachts will always be raced against each other and likewise with the BMW Oracle Racing yachts. Teams will fly their national flag from the stern of the yacht when racing plus carry their respective country’s name and sponsor’s logos on the main and spinnaker sails..

Saturday’s (24 January) first day of practise racing started with an onboard orientation session supervised by key crew members from the respective team’s loaning their boats. Two crew will also remain onboard each yacht throughout the practice racing period to give advice and technical assistance.

With so many teams needing to be accommodated practice racing slots are for a period of just two hours a day so the pressure is on to get the most out of every minute on the water before the regatta gets underway.

Shosholoza’s first practice race on Saturday was on NZL 84 against Britain’s Team Origin on NZL 92. On Sunday the team will practise race on USA 87 against USA 98.

“For me as helmsman there was a very different feeling on the rudder. We have so much to learn but these are challengers that we enjoy because we are used to sailing on a range of different boats on the World Match Racing Tour,” said Cian

“But for instance Team Origin’s helmsman Ben Ainslie – who besides being Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor ever – was the B helmsman for Emirates Team New Zealand in the 2007 America’s Cup so he has a good knowledge of the angles, setting and tuning of these New Zealand yachts.

First practice day for Shosholoza. Auckland, 24 January 2009. Photo copyright Team Shosholoza

“So there will be some skippers and crew who might have an insider’s edge on us but we have come straight from a very good and very intensive 10 day sail training session on Shosholoza RSA 83 in Valencia. Even though it was freezing in Europe we got into a good groove and built excellent team spirit. Time is tight now for optimising our performance, but then it is the same for all the competing teams,” said Cian.

Cian said the narrow race course area between North Head and the volcanic island of Rangitoto was likely to be tricky as there was current and tides to contend with and constantly shifting winds.

Meanwhile the Shosholoza crew are revelling in the typically warm Kiwi welcome, the sunny 25 degree temperatures, turquoise seas and exquisite island scenery that characterises New Zealand’s city of sails

Most of the crew arrived in Auckland on Friday. Sunday saw the arrival of pitman Solomon Dipeere, who took time off from a diamond mine in northern South Africa where he works as an engineering draughtsman and David Rae (traveller) who flew directly from Salvador, Brazil after a record breaking line honours finish as crew on ICAP Leopard in the Cape to Bahia trans-Atlantic race.

Tactician Tommaso Chieffi and strategist Cameron Appleton arrive Monday direct from Miami’s Acura Key West 2009 regatta. Shosholoza is banking on Appleton’s local knowledge as he is the only Kiwi on board.

Share this:

Sunday turned out to be a very good day in Valencia for the 4 teams that continue training in view of the Louis Vuitton Pacific series, starting in less than 2 weeks. The initial weather forecast called for a light breeze early in the morning, dropping down to 5-6 knots at noon and completely dying in the afternoon. Instead, what we had was the opposite. After a light start at 9pm, under blue and clear skies, the breeze built up throughout the morning, reaching 14-15 knots early in the afternoon. As a result, K-Challenge with Alinghi and Shosholoza with Luna Rossa were able to carry out a number of pre-starts as well as 3-4 full races, on short courses, emulating the ones that will be used in Auckland.

Valencia Sailing was aboard FRA-93, the K-Challenge yacht. The French team held its second day of training on the America’s Cup boat, after a very long absence from the Valencian waters. Nevertheless, FRA-93 had been sailing throughout the week, crewed by newcomers Greek Challenge. The French will train in Valencia on Monday and Tuesday and then leave for Auckland.

K-Challenge – AlinghiThe French had the America’s Cup Defender as their sparring partner. The two teams had 4 pre-starts and then carried out a full race, won by Alinghi. One absence on SUI-100 was Brad Butterworth.

K-Challenge trains with Alinghi. Grinder Virgilio Torrecilla is one of the many sailors from Desafío that will be scattered almost through the entire fleet in Auckland. Valencia, 18 January 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza – Luna RossaThe South Africans trained today together with the Italians, very close to the beach and the race course used by Alinghi and K-Challenge. In fact, the breeze allowed for the two courses to be almost parallel to the beach, allowing for a great spectating opportunity. I was not able to fully watch their races but I counted 3, and, unless I missed any result, Luna Rossa won all of them with ease.

Share this:

Sunday turned out to be a very good day in Valencia for the 4 teams that continue training in view of the Louis Vuitton Pacific series, starting in less than 2 weeks. The initial weather forecast called for a light breeze early in the morning, dropping down to 5-6 knots at noon and completely dying in the afternoon. Instead, what we had was the opposite. After a light start at 9pm, under blue and clear skies, the breeze built up throughout the morning, reaching 14-15 knots early in the afternoon. As a result, K-Challenge with Alinghi and Shosholoza with Luna Rossa were able to carry out a number of pre-starts as well as 3-4 full races, on short courses, emulating the ones that will be used in Auckland.

Valencia Sailing was aboard FRA-93, the K-Challenge yacht. The French team held its second day of training on the America’s Cup boat, after a very long absence from the Valencian waters. Nevertheless, FRA-93 had been sailing throughout the week, crewed by newcomers Greek Challenge. The French will train in Valencia on Monday and Tuesday and then leave for Auckland.

K-Challenge – AlinghiThe French had the America’s Cup Defender as their sparring partner. The two teams had 4 pre-starts and then carried out a full race, won by Alinghi. One absence on SUI-100 was Brad Butterworth.

K-Challenge trains with Alinghi. Grinder Virgilio Torrecilla is one of the many sailors from Desafío that will be scattered almost through the entire fleet in Auckland. Valencia, 18 January 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza – Luna RossaThe South Africans trained today together with the Italians, very close to the beach and the race course used by Alinghi and K-Challenge. In fact, the breeze allowed for the two courses to be almost parallel to the beach, allowing for a great spectating opportunity. I was not able to fully watch their races but I counted 3, and, unless I missed any result, Luna Rossa won all of them with ease.

Share this:

The end-of-year holidays are definitely over in Valencia and activity is gradually picking up around Port America’s Cup, mainly in the bases of the teams that will race in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series three weeks from now.

Shosholoza’s boat shed was wide open and RSA-83, the South African team’s ACC yacht, was clearly visible, with shore crew working on her, getting her ready for the upcoming training sessions off Valencia’s coast. According to the information we have the Italian-African crew will train for around 10 days before heading to Auckland at the end of the month.

K-Challenge’s boatshed door was also open but the team’s ACC yacht, FRA-93, was inside. It appears the shore crew was working on her since the French America’s Cup challenger have stated they would also train here in Valencia, in conjunction with other teams.

Share this:

The end-of-year holidays are definitely over in Valencia and activity is gradually picking up around Port America’s Cup, mainly in the bases of the teams that will race in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series three weeks from now.

Shosholoza’s boat shed was wide open and RSA-83, the South African team’s ACC yacht, was clearly visible, with shore crew working on her, getting her ready for the upcoming training sessions off Valencia’s coast. According to the information we have the Italian-African crew will train for around 10 days before heading to Auckland at the end of the month.

K-Challenge’s boatshed door was also open but the team’s ACC yacht, FRA-93, was inside. It appears the shore crew was working on her since the French America’s Cup challenger have stated they would also train here in Valencia, in conjunction with other teams.